CALEA-- Timeline starts now!

On the 26th of February the village board started the clock ticking on the Police Departments CALEA accreditation process. Its a 36 month process that ultimately leads to being a certified agency.

As many of you know we have had to forcefully yank our police department out of the past and into the future in the last two and half years. The process has been painful and costly. If some had spent as much energy resisting change as they had in getting with the program we would be much better off. But I can't change the past, only take us towards a better future.

CALEA is the way law enforcement agencies voluntarily demonstrate their commitment to excellence in law enforcement. The standards upon which the Law Enforcement Accreditation Program is based reflect the current thinking and experience of law enforcement practitioners and researchers. Major law enforcement associations, leading educational and training institutions, governmental agencies, as well as law enforcement executives internationally, acknowledge CALEA’s Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies and its Accreditation Program as benchmarks for today’s law enforcement agency.

• CALEA Accreditation requires an agency to develop a comprehensive, well thought out, uniform set of written directives. This is one of the most successful methods for reaching administrative and operational goals, while also providing direction to personnel. (Click HERE for a list of standards.)
• Accreditation standards provide the necessary reports and analyses a CEO needs to make fact-based, informed management decisions. (Click HERE for a list of standards.)
• CALEA Accreditation requires a preparedness program be put in place – so an agency is ready to address natural or man-made unusual occurrences. (Click HERE for a list of standards.)
• Accreditation is a means for developing or improving upon an agency’s relationship with the community. (Click HERE for a list of standards.)
• CALEA Accreditation strengthens an agency’s accountability, both within the agency and the community, through a continuum of standards that clearly define authority, performance, and responsibilities. (Click HERE for a list of standards.)
• Being CALEA Accredited can limit an agency’s liability and risk exposure because it demonstrates that internationally recognized standards for law enforcement have been met, as verified by a team of independent outside CALEA-trained assessors. (Click HERE for a list of standards.)
• CALEA Accreditation facilitates an agency’s pursuit of professional excellence.